Volume 3 Chapter 4 (1/2)

Translator Corner

Minasan oideyasu. This is Yukkuri demasu!

As usual. The apology session:

Sorry… for the lateness on my part… But I

need to put rice on my plate… (or bread for European).

I am thanking the donators for the donation.

Your donation will be used to purchase LN to be translated one day…… I wonder

if one day will come where I don’t need

to work for my daily bread……

DISCLAIMER: There is no

guarantee that my translation is 100% correct. Please correct me if I was

wrong.

Author:

Dozeumaru(どぜう丸)

Translator:

Yukkuri Oniisan

Editor:

So-Chintzy

Postwar Arc

Chapter 4: The Lion in a Cage

Several days had pa.s.sed since our

return to the Capital City Parnam from Van.

I am now in front of the prison underneath

Parnam Castle. There is no light source other than torches, so it is dim. From

the fact that it is located inside the castle, it could be easy to surmise that

there are many people of high ranks who have entered this prison. Chiefly,

imprisoned as political prisoners. Inside such a dungeon, I am faced with

someone behind the bars. After a lull of silence for a pa.s.sing moment, I

addressed the person inside the cell.

「This

is the first time we have met personally like this. I am the Temporary King, Souma

Kazuya.」(Souma)

「It

is my pleasure to meet you. I am Georg Carmine.」(Georg)

While giving his greeting, the

former Army’s Supreme General, the Lion-faced beastman, Georg Carmine, bowed

his head deeply. In contrast with me, who was sitting on the chair, Georg sat

directly on the cell floor, cross legged just like how a commander in Sengoku

j.a.pan would sit when having an audience with his lord.[1]

While still bowing his head, Georg began to talk,

「Once

again, I give my sincere congratulations for the war this time.」(Georg)

Georg’s imprisonment in this

place happened several days before our return. Until then, he was under house

arrest at Randell Castle, so he must have gathered the information back then.

「Raise

your face. It is hard to talk with that posture.」(Souma)

「As

you wish, Your Majesty.」(Georg)

Georg raised his head and moved his

body upright to face me. Because his body has a burly physique, with a stature

close to 2 meters, our eyes were at the same level even though I was sitting on

a chair. 『Magnificent』…… such an expression suited him as a military man. I

understood why Liscia respects him. It was hard not to be overwhelmed by his

atmosphere. He has such an amazing presence, even so, he is the youngest

amongst the three dukes. I’m positive that Castor is about 160 years old. While

for Excel, she had pa.s.sed 500 years.

「Doesn’t

the true ages of the Three Dukes seem to be the opposite from their outer appearances?

Also in the mental age aspect, too.」(Souma)

When I mentioned this, Georg

laughed 「Gahaha.」

「Certainly.

It is typical for the long living races that the body and mind’s growth could

be said as slow. For a long living race, it’s been said that their appearance

and mental age is (their true age) x (human or beast-kin’s usual maximum

lifespan

I see. It could be said that this

world had something similar to 『for the Crane one thousand years, the Tortoise ten

thousand years』[2] that is 『for the Dragonewt Race five hundred years, the Sea

Dragon Tribe one thousand years.』 for the symbol of longevity (but in this world, they really do live up

until that age). In other words, Castor is 160 x 100 ÷ 500, so he is still just

32 years old (human equivalent). If we think along these lines, then I could

understand why he still had his muscle-brained att.i.tude,……. Eh? Wait a minute!

「If

we use that theory, then isn’t Excel’s mental age already 50 years old?」(Souma)

「……In

everything, there is an exception.」(Georg)

「Don’t

just overlook on this.」(Souma)

From that casual conversation, after

a breather, I moved on to the main business.

「……If

I meet with that you, there are a lot of things I want to say to and ask from

you.」(Souma)

「By

all means.」(B)

「Well,

before that, it seems you haven’t met with Liscia yet.」(Souma)

When I brought this matter up, Georg

slowly closed his eyes. Since her return to Parnam, it seems that Liscia had once

had requested to meet with Georg. However Georg, yelled 『Your

Lady is someone who will soon become the queen, how could you request to meet

with a criminal?』(although to be accurate, it was the prison guard who

sent the verbal message) and drove her away. Since Liscia has a really serious

personality, she reacted heavily to those words. Since then, she has never made

another meeting request. Each and every day, she is stout heartedly endured it.

「……That’s

why, I don’t think this situation is alright.」(Souma)

「My

farewell with the Princess had been finished at the Final Counsel. There is no

longer any need for words for now.」(Georg)

「The

time when she cut her hair?」(Souma)

「I have

seen the Princess’ resolution with that deed. As a person, as a women, Princess

has splendidly archived her independence. I don’t want to cloud that

resolution, influencing it by this fading body.」

He rejected for Liscia’s sake? Good

grief…… this obstinate old man.

「There

is something that I want to ask.」(Georg)

「What

is it?」(Souma)

「It

is about the people who followed our treason, what will happen to the soldiers

of the Army and the Air Force? Then, how will you deal with the treacherous

n.o.bles who have committed dishonest deeds?」(Georg)

「The

soldiers from the Army and the Air Force have obtained meritorious deeds in the

war against Amidonia, and so are pardoned of their crime. The Vargas House had

committed high-treason against me, but they have accomplishes many meritorious

services until the previous King’s reign. The only people who will be implicated

would be Castor and Carla. The duchy will be abolished, but I will let the

eldest son, who had severed connections with the House beforehand and was in the

care of Excel, to succeed the House and permit him to possess only the Crimson

Dragon Castle-Town. But then, since that child is still young, his mother Axera

and the chamberlain Tormann will become his counselors. As for Castor and Carla,

since Excel had appealed for them by relinquis.h.i.+ng her war merits, they will

receive my personal judgment at a later date.」(Souma)

Georg closed his eyes. I wonder

what he felt when he heard all this.

「Then,

for the dishonest n.o.bles…… on top of the abolition of their Family Name, confiscation

of their territories and a.s.sets…… execution. The main perpetrator will be publicly

executed, while the other implicated people will be dealt with in private.」

The existing law stated that 『the Crime

of High Treason will be punished by summary execution to the third degree of kins.h.i.+p.』 Before rebelling just like Georg, if they had severed

their connections, then they wouldn’t have involved the unrelated relatives, but

the dishonest n.o.bles had mostly been negligent in doing so. Perhaps, they never

thought that they would lose…… But how incompetent of them. Furthermore, not

only they commit treason, but they also had committed corruption, bribery,

collusion with Amidonia, and misdeeds on their individual territories (abusing

their authority and status to commit murder, rape, robbery, etc.), and in any

case, they had completely violated the law. For people like Georg and Castor,

whose only crime was treason, it is possible to at least deliver a clemency

appeal for them, but on the contrary for the n.o.bles, there are pet.i.tions to

have them killed in a gruesome manner.

「A

system of guilt by a.s.sociation, I guess that is to accuse the other relatives for

not stopping the criminal? But isn’t third degree of kins.h.i.+p is too much?」(Souma)

「That

can’t be helped. For humans and beastkin, being able to see the face of a

great-grandchild already means a long life, but there are races that could see

the face of their great-great grandchild and beyond that while still in active

service. Because of this, the sentence scope was extended.」

「That’s

why, wouldn’t too many unrelated people die? Even after Hakuya frantically ran

around things, he was barely able to revise it to second degree of kins.h.i.+p.

Furthermore, those under thirteen years are exempted from the execution sentence

and would be given to an orphanage or into the church’s custody.」

Those under the age of ten will

be in the care of a state managed orphanage, those aged eleven to thirteen will

be entrusted to the church. The difference between both of those are whether or

not they could marry and create a family in the future. For those that entered

an orphanage, this is possible, but not so for those who entered the church, as

they will need to detach themselves from the secular world. Furthermore, if

there are pregnant women or women that are not yet one month from her

childbirth, they, too would be entrusted to be watched by the church. If in the

future, they conspire for a crime, then at that time, they will be “dealt with”

…… Currently, I am only able to do this much.

「I

am…… against this guilt by a.s.sociation system. Only the people who committed

the crime who should be judged. Even if they are the criminal’s relatives, it

is surely a mistake to put innocent people to death. In addition, I also feel

the same for public execution. The death penalty, as a verdict for a heinous

crime, will lose its deterrence value. That’s why, I don’t want to turn such a death

penalty into a public spectacle and want to quickly reform the citizens’ minds who

thought of the death penalty as a show.」(Souma)

「It

is already your country. You can do whatever you like with it.」(Georg)

「……Then

I shall do so.」(Souma)

「……Your

Majesty, is it painful to rob people’s life?」(Georg)

Was I making quite a bitter

expression on my face? Georg spoke out as if he noticed it.

「Of

course there is no way that it is not painful. Just by one decree, numerous lives

could be snuffed out. I am crushed by this sense of responsibility. Just half a

year ago I was still a commoner, you know.」

「I

have heard about this from Princess’ letter. Yet, the Princess gave high

praises to Your Majesty as a King amongst Kings. She wants to devote her body